Born in Hammersmith, London, Jonathan Wheatley has built a distinguished career spanning broadcasting, journalism, and presentation on both sides of the Atlantic.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in American Studies from Swansea University and achieved distinction in Grade Eight piano at the Royal College of Music.
Following actor training at the University of Oregon, he earned an MFA degree in acting and theatre.
Jonathan’s television career began in the late 1980s at KCTS Television, the PBS station in Seattle, where he presented programmes and documentaries whilst also serving as the station’s main promotional voice.
Returning to the UK, he trained as a news writer at Worldwide Television News before presenting various WTN documentaries, including the environmental series Earthfile and a five-hour programme about Nigeria.
Jonathan spent six years with ITV, with the majority of that time at HTV West in Bristol as a news presenter and announcer (1994 – 1998). During this period, he presented the channel’s lunchtime news, morning bulletins and the popular late news programme at 10.30pm.
His ITV work also included:
- Presenting the weather for Meridian (1993);
- Presenting the weather and working as an announcer at HTV Wales (1993);
- Brief presenting spells for Carlton’s London Today and the Sky News overnight service (2000 – 2001).
He also presented on the Sky News overnight service for a period.
From January 2004 until June 2012, Jonathan worked at the BBC World Service in Bush House as one of their continuity announcers and newsreaders.
His duties included presenting live world news bulletins on the hour (for six minutes) and two-minute summaries at every half hour.
He presented the round-the-world report series From Our Own Correspondent and, in the very early hours, would sometimes present The African News. He also introduced and back-announced all World Service programmes live.
Jonathan edited, produced and presented the world news on Monocle 24 radio station (2011 – 2015).
Correspondence
Paul R. Jackson contacted Jonathan in March 2024 and started by asking how he got into television.
“KCTS TV (PBS in Seattle) was indeed my first foray in Television. I announced programmes there and voiced promotions. It would have been c. 1988 to 1990.
“I also presented their documentary The Return of the Maya, which was aired across the PBS network.
“I worked at WTN – presenting their documentaries Earthfile and Nigeria from April 1991 and worked in their newsroom writing news scripts for transmission worldwide.”
How did you get into continuity announcing?
“Senior continuity announcer Peter Donaldson offered me some continuity shifts at BBC Radio 4 c. 1991/1992.
(Editor’s note: Andy Walmsley, from Radio Jottings, has also found recordings of Jonathan from April – June 1996.)
“Jane Larner, head of presentation at Meridian, then gave me some announcing shifts in Southampton where the announcers were out-of-vision.
“I have contracts from her from 8th July 1993 until the end of 1995. There is an overlap with HTV where I started in 1993/4.
“I also did some overnight presenting shifts at Sky around 2000/1.”
How did you come to work for HTV?
“Keith Martin was a great mentor for me. I attended one of his TV presenting courses many years ago.
“It was Keith who urged me to contact Donald Hill Davies (head of presentation, planning and promotions at the HTV Group), who gave me some shifts in Cardiff, where I announced in English and Welsh (for HTV Wales).
“And eventually, thanks to Donald – and his successor John Broadbent – I got my chance at on-screen live newsreading at HTV West in Bristol.
“Announcers in Bristol also presented all the news bulletins, including the popular late night bulletin at 10.30pm and all news during GMTV and during the day, including some lunchtime news, but not the early evening news at 6.30pm.
“I was with Wales for a year or two – and West for about four years – so your dates are roughly right ending there around 1999.
“I should mention that all these jobs were freelance.”
How did you get into weather presenting?
“At BBC Radio 4, it was part of our continuity announcing duties to do the live ten-minute Shipping Forecast. At HTV Wales, I would voice the weather. At HTV West, I would voice the live weather and travel bulletins, as part of the news during the GMTV local news opt outs.
“So, all weather was part of the HTV announcer’s duties in the early morning (at HTV West from 5.30am until 9am, when the official weather presenter – at HTV West it was Gill Impey – would take over).
“I also did the odd news shift covering for Paul Greene at Carlton TV.”
Any on-air mishaps during your career?
“The famous mishaps happened when HTV was the first ITV station to convert to digital technology using Editstar/Columbus from the States. This was around 1996 or 1997.
“The problem was that if one thing was missing, the programme would crash which meant that during one particular live news (they were all live), I came up three minutes early with no warning!
“The weather had crashed as had the news intro. It meant I now had six minutes to read a four-minute bulletin!
“As I introduced the Somerset report – the Wiltshire report came up – and vice versa. My name was now one of the reporters.
“It was so bad that by the time we had the right report for the story I had to come out as we had run out of time. In my earpiece I heard the head of news arguing with the journalists.
“Mystically the news presenter, who was due to come in for the main news bulletin at 6.30pm, called in sick. I don’t blame that person. It was a bit terrifying.
“However, it helped me cope with the very real pressures of live presenting. It gave me the confidence to present a ‘Flamenco Night’ in aid of Save the Children at The Royal Albert Hall in 2006.”
Paul ended by asking about later career details
“From Summer 2011 until June 2015 (there is an overlap), I worked with Monocle 24 – a new radio station based on the magazine – at their headquarters in Dorset Street W1 (Marylebone, London) as their first newsreader and announcer, presenting their live news on the hour and half hour.
“I also presented The Weekend Edition – a three-to-four-hour programme on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings.
“Since then, and between jobs, I have been a voiceover/presenter for various commercials, promos and other projects for clients like Google (I was the ‘Concierge’ for a new app earning £15K), HSBC (in-vision promo), Dave TV (in-vision promo), Nat West, Bravo TV (in-vision promo), Flextech TV (in-vision promo), Skoda, Astra Satellite, Intel and many others.”
Personal information
Clips of Jonathan on The TV Room
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Online presence
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: Jonathan Wheatley. COURTESY: Jonathan Wheatley. COPYRIGHT: Jonathan Wheatley.
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